


Phantom of the Night

by VestalDestroyer



Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Enemies to Lovers, Other, keithguspl2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27707369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VestalDestroyer/pseuds/VestalDestroyer
Summary: What if... Keith was in the Resistance and Gus was the masked leader of the Vexos?
Relationships: Gus Grav/Spectra Phantom | Keith Fermin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Phantom of the Night

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what posessed me at 2am to write this. I don't even know what it is. Am AU idea, maybe? I just like the idea of Gus as a Darkus brawler. Also, Gus is nonbinary for no particular reason.
> 
> Enjoy.

The door to the bridge of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers Resistance's moving headquarters slammed open and Dan rushed in. Keith pinches the bridge of his nose. He had told those kids a billion times to be careful with their equipment. Having to fix something every other day was getting tiring.

“Guys!” Dan yells as soon as he enters.

“Dan, the door,” Keith points out calmly. Dan freezes and checks it for damage. He doesn't seem to find anything visible, but Keith makes a mental note to check it later.

“Oops, sorry,” Dan mumbles sheepishly before returning to his naturally obnoxious volume. “I just met this really weird guy! ...Well, at least I think it was a guy...”

“ "Met"? We're in a wasteland in the middle of nowhere,” Keith inquires.

“He said he was hiking or something. Anyway! As I was saying, he was really weird! He asked me why I battle, and when I told him that I'm friends with the Bakugan, he said I was an amateur!”

“He also knew your name,” Drago reminds.

“Do you think he was a Vexos?” Ace wonders.

“He does sound strange enough to be a member,” Marucho nods thoughtfully.

“What did this person look like?” Keith asks, trying to get some more information other than the fact that the person was 'weird', whatever Dan meant with that.

“Um... I didn't see his face or anything. He was wearing this long, dark cloak and the hood and shadows were covering everything.”

Keith sighs. That isn't much to work with.

“Oh! But I saw blue hair peeking out! Long and wavy,” Dan remembers, and Keith is immediately more alert.

“Long blue hair? Like the leader of the Vexos?” Mira realizes.

“You met the leader of the Vexos?” 

“You shouldn't sound so envious, Baron,” Keith reminds him. “If it really was Spectra Phantom, Dan should be glad he lived to tell the tale.”

“What? Why?” Dan asks.

“The leader of the Vexos is a total mystery,” Mira explains, “Keith is the only one here who met him in person, and keeps saying his name—” she shoots a glare at her brother “—even though he knows that saying it is a death sentence.”

“I'm not afraid of him,” Keith replies stubbornly. He's had this discussion with her many times, and the outcome was still the same.

Mira shakes her head in disbelief and continues her story.

“He rarely shows himself, and when he does, his face is covered. He's a phantom of the night, sneaking around and striking when you least expect it. No one knows what kind of Bakugan he has, not even his preferred Attribute, if he has any. If you do meet him again, avoid fighting at all cost and run. Keith managed to talk his way out, but I don't know if you'd be so lucky.”

“Wow, so many compliments,” a voice speaks up behind them in a sarcastic tone. “You're making me blush.”

They all turn to see a figure leaning on the doorframe. Keith's breath hitches. 

While a violet leather jacket covers the shape of the upper part of their body, the tight black pants with silver designs and tall dark purple boots leave little to imagination. A cloak hangs loosely from their shoulders, covering nothing. And Keith remembers. All of this. He recognizes the lean body, the toned legs, the slim fingers in black gloves. But mostly, he recognizes the high ponytail of wavy blue hair that reminds him of a waterfall. Wild, powerful, unstoppable.

The upper half of their face is hidden behind a black and purple mask, eyes aren't visible. The mask is no doubt electronic, the displays in eyeholes showing icy blue irises. Keith tries to focus on those, but his eyes keep drifting downwards to the only visible part of the person's skin. He couldn't stop looking at the tan skin, elegant jawline and perfectly shaped lips forming a playful smirk.

“How did you find us?” Mira demands. She is trying to sound tough, but Keith doesn't miss the tremble in her voice.

“You're making it sound like it should be hard, when this little human led me right to your base,” Spectra shrugs.

“You were followed?” Ace turns to Dan.

“I had no idea!” Dan replies. Keith tries not to facepalm. Why did he recruit a group of kids?

“So? What do you want?” He levels his voice and straightens his back. Even though the Resistance is just kids, they're his kids and he's their leader, he should act like it.

“Nothing in particular. I just thought I'd pop in and say hi.”

The mocking tone does wonders to Keith's usual cool demeanor. He grits his teeth and clenches his fists.

“How dare you...!” he growls, but that only makes Spectra smirk more.

“However, I can tell I'm not wanted here. I shall take my leave, then.”

Keith can't believe this guy's audacity. 

“You're showing us your back? What if I attacked you?”

Spectra stops. “I know you wouldn't.”

“You would.”

“Yes. But I know you're different. If you did attack me though, I would be impressed.”

Spectra is still facing away.

“Oh? Why is that?” Keith asks, using their conversation as a distraction. He pushes a button on the desktop and the sliding door Spectra is standing in activates.

Spectra, of course, doesn't allow the door to do any damage. A few movements of those long legs and the danger is over. The door slides shut.

“You are wasting your talent here, Keith Fermin,” they hear through the door.

Keith shudders involuntarily. His name sounded so different on those lips. Not in a bad way, though, quite the opposite. He couldn't help but think about what Spectra said. Somehow, that captivating voice made every word stick to his mind.

“Keith?”

“Keith, you okay?”

“You saved us!” 

Keith sighs in relief.

“At least I know the door is working properly.”

—

No matter how hard he tried, Keith couldn't stop thinking about Spectra. Undefeated on the battlefield, could crush the entire Resistance with a single attack. Yet it wasn't the power that worried Keith, nor the threat that this person posed to his group. It was his own feelings. The first time he met Spectra, they didn't fight. They talked. That was already a major difference between Spectra and the other Vexos. Another shock was Spectra's personality, which was nothing like Keith expected. Spectra was confident, but didn't brag or show off. The superiority radiated just from the posture alone. Everything pulled Keith towards that person, he couldn't help it. He wanted to know more. He wanted to discover what was beneath that royal elegance and dignity of Spectra's. And most of all, he wanted to take that mask off.

—

The next time he saw Spectra was in the middle of the night. Everyone was asleep, but Keith had a lot on his mind, so he sat on the floor of the balcony, watching the sky and trying to sort out his thoughts.

“What a beautiful night,” he hears a whisper next to him.

“Spectra?!”

“Shh,” Spectra presses a two fingers to Keith's lips. “I don't want to wake up your children.”

“Afraid we'd beat you?” Keith smirks.

“Not really. But I'd rather avoid hurting them.”

“Why are you here?”

“To chat.”

Keith doesn't answer. He knows already that Spectra prefers talking over brawling, so he waits.

“Hydron found a way to the human world. He's planning an invasion.”

Keith masks his shock with suspicion.

“Even if it was true, why would you tell me?”

“It wounds me that you think of me as a liar,” Spectra laughs, but then turns serious again. “I'm not blind or stupid, Keith Fermin, and I know you aren't either. What happened to New Vestroia is a disaster that should not repeat itself. Not on Earth, and not anywhere else.”

“You want... to stop him? But... you're the leader of the Vexos!”

“I just have my own way of resisting the royal family. My position gives me a lot of freedom.”

Keith realizes what he's implying.

“The underground Bakugan shelters! That was your work?” 

Spectra knows it's not really a question and doesn't bother to answer.

“I came here to make an alliance.”

“You want to help us save the Bakugan and Earth?”

“Yes. Hydron trusts me, he'll send me to Earth first, along with the Vexos. That will leave him vulnerable.”

Keith sees where Spectra is going with this.

“You take care of the Vexos while we defeat Hydron? That sounds like a solid plan, but how do I know you won't betray us?”

“Your words hurt me. We have so much in common, Keith. Our minds work the same way. You should be able to tell how little I have to gain from lying. It wouldn't be worth the trouble.”

Keith's mouth goes dry. Spectra is right. That's why he felt every word resonate with him. Spectra was reading his mind this whole time.

“I suppose. But that doesn't mean I trust you.”

“I understand.” Spectra pauses before speaking again. “Do you know why I came in the middle of the night?”

Keith wants to retort that he has no idea, but then he stops to think.

“Because you knew I'd be the only one who would hear you out.”

Spectra nods. Suddenly, the electronic irises aren't as scary. Keith can now imagine a pair of real eyes behind them easily.

“Is there anything I can do to prove I'm worthy of your trust?” Spectra asks.

Keith knows the answer, but suddenly, face to face with the person that occupied his mind so often, he had a hard time bringing himself to say it.

“Tell me who you really are.”

It seems Spectra had anticipated that demand.

“Please don't tell anyone. The name is Gus Grav.”

As soon as the mask comes off, the hair falls down as if it had been held up by some mysterious force. Even in the dim light, Keith can tell that the face is way above what he imagined. And when Spectra opens a pair of sea green eyes, Keith's breath is taken away.

“Gus...” he repeats breathlessly, tasting the name on his tongue. “You're beautiful.”

He voices the thought before he can stop himself. To his surprise, Gus blushes.

“You're one to talk.”

Keith only realizes he had been moving closer when Gus presses their lips together. He wraps an arm around Gus' waist to put their bodies together and kisses right back, postponing all thoughts for later. The touches are light, exploring, playful. He feels fingers thread into his hair, but the hand doesn't push to deepen the kiss at all. 

Somehow, this communicates Gus' intentions better than words. Gus doesn't want anything from Keith. Just to get to know each other and work together is good enough. And if they save the world while doing that? Even better.


End file.
